Food cooking and browning bag

ABSTRACT

A cooking bag and a method for cooking food using a cooking bag, with the cooking bag having a variable opening vent formed from a thinning of the bag material, perforations through the bag, and/or slits through the bag, and a tear-off strip for browning and removal of the food product from the bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

This invention relates generally to bags for cooking food and more specifically to bags that can be used in high temperature settings such as conventional, convection, toaster, and microwave ovens and in which food products can be cooked.

Prior Art

There are millions of cooking bags sold in the market place today made out of different high temperature materials. The reason for this is that in many countries, including the USA, there is a need for convenience for the consumer of today. A cooking bag, or cook in bag, allows for a consumer to place a product such as a turkey, a pork roast, chicken parts, and/or many other food items into the bag, then place the bag in the oven, turn on the heat, and cook the food item more rapidly than in an open pan. More specifically, the cooking bag is generally sealed with the food item inside, whereby the sealed bag creates a type of pressure cooker effect. Thus, the food within the bag cooks faster and often has an enhanced tenderness.

A cooking bag also allows for a frozen product to be put into the oven without thawing. For example, if a frozen food product is placed into the oven in an open pan, the outside of the food product will dry out before the center of the food product reaches a food safe temperature.

A cooking bag also allows for faster clean up as all of the juices, and other foods parts such as skin and food pieces that fall off of the main food product, that will brown and stick to the pan are contained inside the bag, so that all the consumer has to do is remove the bag from the pan and wipe it out for the next use.

A problem that has been incurred with the current cooking bag products are that they do not allow for the browning of the food product inside the bag. One reason for this is due to the steam that develops inside the bag. To have a food product brown in color, the food product needs to be exposed to dry heat, or a “browning agent” needs to be added. Consumers today are very health conscious and want a clean ingredient label such that browning agents, which add to the ingredient label, may keep the consumer from buying the cooking bag, or any such product. Also, browning agents can affect the flavor of the food product in an adverse way.

An issue that can affect the browning of the food product is if the pressure within the cooking bag is not sufficient to inflate the bag fully away from the surface of the food product even if the browning agent is added. The area underneath the material still in contact with the food product will not brown.

There also are inherent problems with creating the pressure cooker effect in a bag. The bag could over pressurize and explode, or the bag seal may pop, in the oven. In some countries such as Brazil, many consumers have smaller ovens that will not allow for the bag to inflate a large amount as the bag will touch the top of the oven and melt. This creates a hard situation to clean up. Also, if the bag explodes or the bag seal pops during the cooking process, this normally will throw grease all over the oven and into the cooking pan defeating the easy clean up that is a selling point for a cooking bag.

Many manufactures of cooking bags have tried for years to solve the above mentioned problems. For the explosion or popped seals, manufacturers recommend that the consumer cuts a few slits with a knife into the top of the bag before the bag is inserted into the oven. This is a very subjective thing to ask the consumer to do. Some consumers will poke a few holes, while other consumers will create large slits, and the end result will be the holes and slits all vary in size or length. The first one (a few small holes) may not create enough venting and the seals and or explosion in the oven still happens. The second one (large slits) will not allow the bag to inflate sufficiently and it will vary the cooking time as it does not allow for the pressure to build up enough in the bag to create the pressure cooker effect. This also extends the cooking time in the oven, defeating the objective of using the bag in the first place.

Some manufacturers have put slits of a pre-determined size in the bag, which takes care of the situation mentioned above. However, such slits still do not help the browning of the food product because the food product is totally finished cooking under steam.

One cooking bag product manufactures a cooking bag that has a “fin seal” on top of the bag that is designed to open after the pressure inside of the bag is sufficiently created so as to start the cooking process. This is supposed to allow the food product being cooked to brown after it has started cooking with pressure. The concept is created by making three seals in the bag. Two of the seals are on each end of the bag, sealing the bag closed, and are supposed to be stronger than the fin seal on top. The third seal is a weaker seal than the end seals and is located at the top of the bag. As the food product is cooking, pressure is created within the sealed bag, which causes the fin seal to open later in the cooking cycle so as to allow the food product to brown. A problem with this structure is that the top fin seal is not consistent. The reason for this is it is hard to make a weak seal and expect it to hold until a certain pressure is reached and then give way, as every food product creates pressure differently. For instance, a food product with a lot of liquid will create steam faster than a food product with drier ingredients. So the food product with more liquid will create more steam, and a higher pressure, and will cause the fin seal to rupture sooner, and the bag to open too early, which in turn will cause the food product to take longer to reach food safe temperature as the pressure cooker effect has not been created long enough. Also, if the fin seal opens too early, the food product will brown too much before it has completed cooking. The fin seal is made weak along the whole length, and is supposed to give way with pressure along its entire length so as to allow browning across the entire food product being cooked. This does not actually happen for the reason that as the pressure builds in the bag, only a portion of the fin seal ruptures and not the entire length of the fin seal. The reason for this is that to build enough pressure in the bag to split open the whole length of the fin seal, a mini explosion would have to happen to cause the fin seal to rip along its whole length. So, in reality only a portion of the fin seal ruptures, which only allows for a portion of the food product to brown.

Another cooking bag uses a glue that is temperature sensitive and can release more easily by steam. In this bag, the bag has a slit or hole that is covered with a label, the label being attached to the bag with the heat resistant glue. As the food product heats up, the glue releases allowing the label to release and open the vent. A problem with this is that the hole is a single size, which may be too small or too large to cook and/or brown the food product properly. Another problem with this is that the hole in the bag is too large.

Accordingly, there is a need for a bag that solves both the venting problem and the browning problem in the cooking bag system. There also is a need for a device that allows both proper cooking of a food product within a cooking bag and the subsequent browning of the food product during the cooking cycle. It is to these needs and others that the present invention is directed

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the invention is a cooking bag comprising a variable opening vent. In one embodiment, the vent can be a thinning of the bag material or a series of thinnings of the bag material. In another embodiment, the vent can be a series of relatively small perforations located proximal to each, such as in a linear, circular, or X-shaped pattern. In yet another embodiment, the vent can be a series of relatively small slits located proximal to each other.

In use, as the food product contained in the bag is heated in the oven, the increase in temperature and the creation of steam or water vapor in the bag causes the pressure in the bag to increase. This causes the bag to expand until the bag material prevents further expansion. At this stage, the food within the bag is cooking due to the heat in the oven and further due to the increased pressure in the bag (pressure cooking). At a predetermined pressure, the vent opens, generally by a ripping of the bag material, which allows some of the steam or water vapor to escape, thus preventing the bag from exploding and maintaining a certain pressure within the bag, thereby continuing with the pressure cooking process. The vent can be created such that it will not open more than a certain amount, whereby a certain pressure remains in the bag, contributing to further pressure cooking of the food product.

The thinning of the bag material can be accomplished such that only a predetermined portion or length of the thinning opens at a predetermined pressure. Similarly, the perforations can be made in the bag material proximal to each other or at a distance from each other such that the bag material located between perforations only rips at a predetermined pressure. Likewise, the slits also can be made in the bag material proximal to each other or at a distance from each other such that the bag material located between slits only rips at a predetermined pressure.

The present bag preferably is manufactured from a material that is suitable for use in microwave ovens and in conventional ovens. Materials such as certain polyesters, polyvinyl chlorides, polyvinylidene chlorides, and NYLON® brand materials are suitable.

One difference of the invention relative to the prior art is that the present invention has a predetermined food browning aspect that is more reliable than the current state of the art. Some prior art bags are based on using the steam created during the cooking process to open the vent and do not allow the pressure cooker effect long enough to provide for the rapid cooking effect. Other prior art bags only allow venting, which does not allow sufficient food browning, without browning agent additives. Still other prior art bags are manufactured from a material that is only suitable for use in the microwave oven and not in a conventional oven.

Thus, a cooking bag is disclosed comprising a variable opening vent that allows the food product within the bag to cook under both heat and pressure, and that allows the vent to open at a predetermined pressure and/or a predetermined amount so as to maintain a pressure within the bag while preventing the bag from exploding, and further comprising a tear-off strip for allowing the browning of the food product during a preferably later stage in the cooking process.

A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description of preferred embodiments in which like elements and components bear the same designations and numbering throughout the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates a cooking bag of the present invention comprising a weakened portion of the cooking bag material as the vent.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cooking bag of the present invention comprising perforations in the cooking bag material as the vent.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cooking bag of the present invention comprising slits in the cooking bag material as the vent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The figures illustrate three preferred exemplary embodiments of the cooking bag 10 of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a cooking bag 10 of the present invention comprising a weakened portion 18 of the cooking bag material as the vent 16, along with a tear-off strip 12 for allowing food browning and removal of the food product form the bag 10. FIG. 2 illustrates a cooking bag 10 of the present invention comprising perforations 20 in the cooking bag material as the vent 16, also along with a tear-off strip 12 for allowing food browning and removal of the food product form the bag 10. FIG. 3 illustrates a cooking bag 10 of the present invention comprising slits 22 in the cooking bag material as the vent 16, also along with a tear-off strip 12 for allowing food browning and removal of the food product form the bag 10.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are a cooking bag 10 comprising a variable opening vent 16. In one embodiment, the vent 16 can be a thinning 18 of the bag material or a series of thinnings 18 of the bag material. In another embodiment, the vent 16 can be a series of relatively small perforations 20 located proximal to each, such as in a linear, circular, or X-shaped pattern. In yet another embodiment, the vent 16 can be a series of relatively small slits 22 located proximal to each other.

The thinnings 18, perforations 20, slits 22, or the equivalent structures or features can be accomplished by laser, blades, all types of perforating, pressure, temperature, or any process that can be controlled to a sufficient degree to produce a thinning 18, perforation 20, or slit 22 suitable. The type, size, and number of thinnings 18, perforations 20, and slits 22 are dependent on both the material of the bag 10 and the desired pressure at which it is desired for the vent 16 to open and the desired final size of the vent 16 opening. One of ordinary skill in the art provided with the material of the bag 10 and the desired pressure can determine the type, size, and number of thinnings 18, perforations 20, and slits 22 without undue experimentation. For example, the vent 16 also can be created by other means such as with small needles in a close configuration and or by creating fatigue in the material of the bag 10 by crushing the material of the bag 10 between two ridges of dull metal as not to fully puncture the material of the bag 10.

The pattern for the thinnings 18, perforations 20, and slits 22 can be linear, X-shaped, T-shaped, L-shaped, circular, parallel rows, or other shapes. Although the figures show an X-shaped vent 16 and this specification discloses the invention relative to the shown X-shaped pattern, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not meant to be limiting.

Preferably, the thinnings 18, perforations 20, and slits 22 are very or relatively small, such as a number of holes or slits in a line or pattern. The thinnings 18, perforations 20, and slits 22 are structured such that as the pressure builds within the bag 10, the material of the thinning 18 or between the holes 20 or slits 22 can rip, resulting in almost a variable sized slit, which forms the vent 16. The vent 16 preferably is able to split at a lower pressure than the opening for removing the food, such as tear-off strip 12 in combination with the perforation 14 for removing the tear-off strip 12, so that the vent 16 will split while the removal opening will not. In this manner, the vent 16 will not split until a certain pressure (not temperature) is reached, which will allow the food to pressure cook within the bag 10 for a set period of time, and the removal opening will not split at all. Thus, the vent 16 will in effect hold the pressure in the bag 10 at a set level or a relatively set level by variable splitting.

After a certain period of time cooking under the pressure, both with the vent closed and then with the vent opened, the cook then can open the oven and open the bag 10 even more by, for example, pulling on the tear-off strip 12, ripping the tear-off strip 12 from the bag at the perforation 14, thus ripping open the bag 10 more, so that the food now can brown. In current bags, there are no valves or vents or there valves or vents that completely open or valves or vents that are supposed to completely open but do not. Thus, in present bags the food may pressure cook, but will not brown. Also, current bags have instructions that instruct the user to make holes or cuts in the bag when the user wants to allow the browning. The bag 10 of the present invention comprises an easy opening bag 10 with the vent 16 to allow the venting of the steam and then after a certain period of time allows for the opening of the bag 10 via the tear-off strip 12 to allow the browning of the food product.

To solve the venting issue inherent in the prior art, the present invention comprises a cooking bag 10 with a relatively small vent 16 created in the top of the bag 10 by using a suitable device, such as a laser, blades, all types of perforating, pressure, temperature, or any process that can be controlled to a sufficient degree to produce the vent 16. In one illustrative embodiment, the vent 16 is comprised of holes 20. The holes 20 are pre-adjusted in size, but are in close proximity and diameter to each other so as to weaken the bag 10 in a small area on top, and not across the entire bag 10.

The holes 20 preferably are small enough to not have the vent 16 totally open, like an open slit, which would allow for contamination of the food inside the bag 10, but open enough so when the pressure is built up in the bag 10, and the bag 10 is inflated enough to be pushed all the way from and not touching the top of the food product, the vent 16 area will fracture or split and allow the right amount of venting so as to maintain a certain pressure within the bag, thus allowing continued pressure-type cooking. More specifically, it is preferable for the venting to be not large enough to deflate the bag 10 so as to have it rest back on top of the food product, but to maintain a certain amount of pressure within the bag 10 to keep the bag 10 inflated and to retain the pressure cooking effect, like a valve. As the vent 16 is structured so as to only tear open an amount that is needed to maintain the pressure to keep the bag 10 inflated, as the pressure increases the material of the bag 10 between the holes 20 will give way allowing more pressure to be released. This will stop the potential explosion of the bag 10, the bursting of the bag 10 at the perforation 14 for the tear-off strip 12, and the popping of the end seals of the bag 10.

The bag 10 also preferably comprises a tear-off strip 12 that can be removed from the bag 10 via a perforation 14. The tear-off strip 12 is for removing the food product form the bag 10, and also for allowing the browning of the food. More specifically, the same bag 10 that has the vent 16 also can comprise a top portion tear-off strip 12. This tear-off strip 12 preferably is located across the whole portion of the top of the bag 10, but can be located across a portion of the top of the bag 10, or along a side of the bag 10. A perforation line 14 delineates the tear-off strip 12 from the main portion of the bag 10. The perforation 14 is stronger than the vent 16 such that this perforation 14 is able to with stand the pressure that is built up in the bag 10 during the cooking cycle and not release any pressure, whereby the vent will tear open at a pressure lower than the pressure that would cause the perforation 14 to rupture. However, with the force of a user pulling the tear-off strip 12 by hand, the user can relatively easily pull the tear-off strip 12 all the way off of the bag 10 to expose the entire food product inside the bag 10 for browning. As a result, the invention is a cooking bag 10 that will create a pressure cooker style of cooking and at a predetermined time during the cooking cycle, dictated by the pressure achieved within the bag 10, the consumer can tear open the top of the bag 10 and expose the entire food product for browning.

These two features, the vent 16 and the tear-off strip 12, put into one device and made with materials that will withstand the oven heat create a perfect solution for the consumer to have a rapidly cooked product that is tender and browned to perfection.

In use, as the food product contained in the bag 10 is heated in the oven, the increase in temperature and the creation of steam or water vapor in the bag 10 causes the pressure in the bag 10 to increase. This causes the bag 10 to expand until the bag material prevents further expansion. At this stage, the food within the bag 10 is cooking due to the heat in the oven and further due to the increased pressure in the bag 10 (pressure cooking). At a predetermined pressure, the vent 16 opens, generally by a ripping of the bag material, either by a ripping of the thinning 18 or by a ripping of the bag material between the holes 20 or slits 22, which allows at least some of the steam or water vapor to escape, thus preventing the bag 10 from exploding. However, the vent will not open enough to allow all of the pressure within the bag 10 to escape, thereby maintaining an increased pressure environment within the bag. In this disclosure, “increased pressure environment” means a pressure within the bag 10 that is higher than the ambient pressure within the oven. Thus, the vent 16 can be created such that it will not open more than a certain amount, whereby a certain pressure remains in the bag 10, contributing to further pressure cooking of the food product.

At a certain time during the cooking cycle, the tear-off strip 12 can be removed from the bag 10. More specifically, the at least one tear-off strip 12 can be used for removing the food product from the bag 10 and for further opening the bag 10 for browning or additional browning of the food product during cooking. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the vent 16 is only structured to open a sufficient amount so as to release pressure from the bag during cooking such that the bag 10 will not explode, but not enough to allow for the browning of the food product (or for a desired amount of the browning of the food product), after the food has cooked to a desired degree, the tear-off strip 12 is removed at the perforation 14 and the bag 10 opened more so as to allow for browning or more browning.

The time at which the tear-off strip 12 is removed from the bag can be determined by the user without undue experimentation. For example, if the cook desires not pressure cooking, the cook can remove the tear-off strip 12 at the start of the cooking cycle. For another example, if the cook desires a greater degree of pressure cooking, the cook can wait until the food product is almost entirely or entirely cooked, and then remove the tear-off strip, which will result in less or no browning of the food product. A preferred cooking time is in the middle of these two ends of the cooking continuum, wherein the food product has cooked to a desired degree under pressure in the bag 10 with the vent 16 closed and then opened by the pressure within the bag, and then the tear-off strip 12 is removed for finishing the cooking of the food product and for browning the food product.

The thinning 18 of the bag material can be accomplished such that only a predetermined portion or length of the thinning 18 opens at a predetermined pressure. Similarly, the perforations 20 can be made in the bag material proximal to each other or at a distance from each other such that the bag material located between perforations 20 only rips at a predetermined pressure. Likewise, the slits 22 also can be made in the bag material proximal to each other or at a distance from each other such that the bag material located between slits 22 only rips at a predetermined pressure.

Thus, a cooking bag 10 is disclosed comprising a variable opening vent 16 and a tear-off strip 12, wherein the bag 10 allows the food product within the bag 10 to cook under both heat and pressure, and allows the vent 16 to open at a predetermined pressure and/or a predetermined amount so as to prevent the exploding or bursting of the bag except at the vent 16, and wherein the tear-off strip 14 allows for the browning of the food product. The material of the bag 10 can be selected from those materials that are capable of the temperatures reached in an oven, can rip as required for the vent 16 and tear-off strip 12 to operate, and to be safe for use with food products. Current materials include certain polyesters, polyvinyl chlorides, polyvinylidene chlorides, and Nylon® brand materials.

The above detailed description of the embodiments, and the examples, are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope and spirit of the invention, and its equivalents, as defined by the appended claims. One skilled in the art will recognize that many variations can be made to the invention disclosed in this specification without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking bag comprising: a bag portion for containing a food product, the bag portion manufactured from a bag material that can withstand at least a temperature at which the food product is to be cooked, the bag portion being sealable about the food product prior to cooking of the food product; and an opening vent formed on, in, or through the bag material.
 2. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening vent is a variable opening vent.
 3. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening vent comprises at least one of a thinning of the bag material, perforations through the bag material, and slits through the bag.
 4. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 3, wherein the opening vent is a series of perforations located proximal to each.
 5. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 4, wherein the perforations are configured in a linear, circular, or X-shaped pattern.
 6. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 3, wherein the opening vent is a series of slits located proximal to each.
 7. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slits are configured in a linear, circular, or X-shaped pattern.
 8. The cooking bag as claimed in one of the preceding claims, further comprising a tear-off strip.
 9. A method for cooking a food product, comprising: placing the food product in a cooking bag, the cooking bag comprising a bag portion for containing a food product, the bag portion manufactured from a bag material that can withstand at least a temperature at which the food product is to be cooked, the bag portion being sealable about the food product prior to cooking of the food product, and the bag portion having an opening vent formed on, in, or through the bag material; cooking the food product within the cooking bag at a temperature sufficient to increase pressure within the cooking bag, thereby causing the cooking bag to expand until the bag material prevents further expansion, wherein the increased pressure within the cooking bag and the expansion of the bag material causes the ripping, tearing, or splitting of the opening vent an amount that will not allow all of the pressure within the cooking bag to escape, thereby maintaining an increased pressure environment within the cooking bag, whereby a certain pressure remains in the cooking bag, contributing to further pressure cooking of the food product.
 10. The method for cooking a food product as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cooking bag comprising a variable opening vent.
 11. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the opening vent comprises at least one of a thinning of the bag material, perforations through the bag material, and slits through the bag.
 12. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 11, wherein the opening vent is a series of perforations located proximal to each.
 13. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 12, wherein the perforations are configured in a linear, circular, or X-shaped pattern.
 14. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 11, wherein the opening vent is a series of slits located proximal to each.
 15. The cooking bag as claimed in claim 14, wherein the slits are configured in a linear, circular, or X-shaped pattern.
 16. The method for cooking a food product as claimed in one of the preceding claims, further comprising a tear-off strip, and further comprising removing the tear-off strip from the cooking bag for browning the food product and/or for removing the food product from the cooking bag.
 17. The method for cooking a food product as claimed in claim 16, wherein the tear-off strip is removed from the cooking bag prior to cooking the food product.
 18. The method for cooking a food product as claimed in claim 16, wherein the tear-off strip is removed from the cooking bag while cooking the food product. 